Jersey City Writers

 
 
 

This children's picture book (with illustrations by Arnel T. Dime, Jr.) is adapted from Ross's short animated film of the same name. Inspired by an Icelandic folktale, the Queen’s cat ends up on an adventure in the countryside, where he experiences new things, and falls in love.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘣. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 "𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬"—𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘢 𝘑𝘊𝘞 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵—𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥.

𝘛𝘰 𝘳𝘴𝘷𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵 (𝘕𝘖𝘛𝘌: 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵), 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺@𝘫𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘺𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴.𝘤𝘰𝘮. 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘴𝘷𝘱 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴.

 
 
 

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

𝖸𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖻𝗈𝖽𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍 𝖾𝗌𝗌𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝖺𝗅 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄 𝗌𝗉𝖺𝖼𝖾𝗌. 𝖲𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝖾𝖾𝗄 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝟨5-𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗎𝗍𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗉 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗀𝖾𝗍s 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗉𝗁𝗒𝗌𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗅 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗅 𝗆𝗎𝗌𝖼𝗅𝖾𝗌 𝗆𝗈𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀.

7:00 • login, 𝗀𝗋𝖾𝖾𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌
7:15 • 𝗆𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗍𝗋𝖾𝗍𝖼𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀
7:35 • 𝟥𝟢-𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗎𝗍𝖾 𝗌𝗂𝗅𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗐𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗌𝗉𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗍
8:05 • done!

• 𝖭𝗈 𝗌𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗂𝖺𝗅 𝖾𝗊𝗎𝗂𝗉𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗈𝗋 𝖼𝗅𝗈𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗌 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗀𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗅𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗍𝗋𝖾𝗍𝖼𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀.
• 𝖭𝗈 𝗍𝖺𝗅𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖽𝗎𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝟥𝟢-𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗎𝗍𝖾 𝗌𝗉𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗍.
• 𝖯𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗂𝖼𝗂𝗉𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝖻𝖾 𝗆𝗎𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗂𝗆𝗂𝗓𝖾 𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄𝗀𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 𝗇𝗈𝗂𝗌𝖾.
• 𝖥𝖾𝖾𝗅 𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝖾𝗑𝗍 𝖿𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝗒𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾.
• 𝖯𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗌𝖾 𝖺𝗋𝗋𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾.
• 𝖨𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗆𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗅𝗒, 𝗉𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗌𝖾 𝗀𝗈 𝗂𝗇 𝗌𝗂𝗅𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾; 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗆𝖺𝗒 𝗌𝖺𝗒 𝗀𝗈𝗈𝖽𝖻𝗒𝖾 𝗏𝗂𝖺 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝖾𝗑𝗍 𝖿𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾.

Nancy Méndez-Booth is a Jersey City-based writer/editor, educator, and performer. Her work has appeared in print and online, including Poets & Writers and Salon, and she has performed at venues including Cornelia Street Cafe and The Moth. (Select performances can be viewed on YouTube.) Nancy's athletic experience includes a 20+ year yoga practice, eight-time marathon finisher, collegiate rower, cycling, and swimming. Follow her on social media (@nmenbooth Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn; Nancy Mendez-Booth Facebook author page), visit nancymendezbooth.com, and contact her at [masked] for information on academic tutoring, writing coaching, workshops and presentations, and writing/editing services.

𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 is a community where writers interact to develop and explore their craft. JCW’s programming -- now 100% online -- includes dozens of monthly events such as workshops, writing marathons, and live readings. To learn more about the JCW community, drop us a line at [masked] so you can receive 𝑺𝑯𝑶𝑹𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑵𝑫, our weekly newsletter.

 
 
 

At the in-person JCW workshop, we read the submitted work aloud then give the writer constructive feedback. We would LOVE it if you would read the pieces in advance and prep your notes.

Keep your eye on your inbox. We will send an email when the workshop pieces are in the folder.

Link for JCW Tuesdays drive folder:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15mMmCKFv3pWNiY_W3p4WYdKGpn-SXn8M?usp=sharing

Please note: This is a restricted folder. To get access either ask for it when you click the link above OR email [masked].

Thank you!

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
• You must sign up for Writers Workshop in advance.
• You must be an active JCW member to be scheduled.

Monthly Schedule for Tuesday:
1st Tuesday of the Month: JCW Short Story Salon. We give the salon treatment to a famous, not-so-famous, or even notorious short work of fiction every month.
2nd Tuesday of the Month: Writers’ Workshop. Constructive criticism of unpublished work from JCW members. MUST SUBMIT IN ADVANCE.
3rd Tuesday of the Month: Trope or Choke. Constrained writing at its quirkiest.
4th Tuesday of the Month: Writers’ Workshop. Constructive criticism of unpublished work from JCW members. MUST SUBMIT IN ADVANCE.

 
 
 

Calling all poets!

This workshop begins with critiques of two poems, each by an author who signed up ahead of time. The workshop ends, if time permits, with a 10-15 minute writing prompt (an idea to incorporate into a poem written on the spot).

Please note that if you have never attended Jersey Plums before, you must attend at least once before you may schedule a poem for critique. To get on the schedule, please speak to a moderator at the workshop.

While critiquing poems, we will mind our P’s and Q’s by first discussing what works in the poem, and then asking questions for clarity, understanding, and figuring out how the poem can be stronger or improved. This helps to keep the feedback positive and constructive.

Please reach out to David, the event organizer, on meetup if you have questions.

NOTE: The workshop begins with an explicit framing of expectations about how to participate in the workshop. New members will not be admitted after the opening of the workshop has concluded, so please be prompt.